


A Study in Love and Other Things Like That

by anon7912



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Blow Jobs, Canon Compliant, Drabble, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, Lee Juyeon (The Boyz) is Whipped, M/M, One Shot, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Shower Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:22:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24886780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anon7912/pseuds/anon7912
Summary: The one where Hyunjae tries to test the limits of Juyeon’s patience only to realise he can do no wrong in his boyfriend’s eyes.
Relationships: Ji Changmin | Q/Kim Younghoon, Lee Jaehyun | Hyunjae/Lee Juyeon
Comments: 32
Kudos: 435





	A Study in Love and Other Things Like That

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to post this later in the week but like why.
> 
> This fluff pretty much wrote itself after the ~wild~ weekend we just had with JuJae holding hands on live TV and all around being The Gayz.
> 
> Having said that, did I intend for this fluff fic to be ten thousand words long? No.  
> Did I plan on writing an actual smut scene in the middle of this innocent babie work? No.  
> When life gives you lemons, do you write an aggressively soft JuJae fic? Apparently.

Hyunjae is watching a compilation video of funny animals at the dining room table in their dorm when Younghoon comes flopping down in the seat next to him. “Ugh, Changmin’s pissed at me again,” the tall, pale boy mutters into his arms. Hyunjae raises an eyebrow at his friend, poking him in the side.

“Again? Why?” he asks, a hint of amusement in his voice. It’s well known around the dorms that Changmin will get on Younghoon’s case around once a week, a surprisingly fiery temper emerging amidst those adorable dimples. Younghoon’s voice is muffled by his hoodie sleeves so Hyunjae gets up close and yells, “ _Huh?!_ ” right in his ear.

Younghoon jumps back with a “Yah!”, rubbing at the abused appendage. “I _said_ he was annoyed cause I made him try this gross tofu paste after telling him it was vanilla frosting,” Younghoon hisses, glaring irritably at Hyunjae. “He screamed and kicked me out of the room which is why I’m here getting my eardrums blown apart,” he says, flopping back down.

Hyunjae snickers lowly, leaning down on his arms beside Younghoon. “Sucks to suck dude,” he chuckles, “Juyeonie and I never fight.”

“Yeah, no thanks to you,” Younghoon snorts. This makes Hyunjae frown, bewildered. 

“What do you mean no thanks to me?” he asks crossly. There’s a short silence before Younghoon’s face emerges from between his sleeves, a disbelieving expression already marring his handsome features. “You’re kidding right?” he snarks. The deepening crease between Hyunjae’s eyebrows make the older boy gape. “Oh my god, you’re not kidding. You actually think you and Juyeon don’t fight because of you?”

Hyunjae cocks his head, considering the question posed to him. “I mean, not necessarily because of me alone, but it’s a two man effort, yeah,” he says slowly. Younghoon lets out a shocked huff of a laugh, dark eyes enormous with incredulity.

“You’re an idiot,” he laughs. “You and Juyeonie don’t fight _in spite_ of you Hyunjae-ya. Juyeonie is probably the most even tempered person I’ve ever met.” This makes Hyunjae squawk in indignation, swatting at the pale boy.

“Yah! What the hell is that supposed to mean hyung?” he cries irately. “I’m perfectly pleasant!”

Just as Younghoon is sniggering into his hand, Sunwoo and Chanhee come around the corner bickering about some thing or other. When they see their hyungs at the dining table, Younghoon with a tickled expression and Hyunjae looking incensed, they stop short. “What’s so funny?” Sunwoo asks.

Before Hyunjae can respond, Younghoon cuts in, “Hyunjae-ya actually thinks he and Juyeonie don’t argue because they both don’t get pissed easily and not cause Juyeon’s so whipped that his temper has taken a permanent sabbatical.” Sunwoo breaks into a loud cackle while Chanhee giggles delicately into slender fingers.

“Hey respect your elders!” Hyunjae yells at the two of them.

Sunwoo politely swallows down his laughter, although his eyes are still dancing with mirth. “Sorry hyung,” he says between chuckles. At Hyunjae’sexpression, Chanhee quickly adds, “It’s not that you’re totally awful, it’s just...Juyeon is _so_ patient.”

Hyunjae rolls his eyes. “Obviously he is, but-”

“No, like, extra patient. With you, I mean,” Chanhee says as he sits down while Sunwoo sticks his head into their fridge.

“What’s there to be patient with?” Hyunjae grouses, his mood rapidly sinking from five minutes ago when he was watching a kitten get scared by a cucumber.

Between gulps of juice, Sunwoo garbles out, “You’re annoyingly competitive.”

“You’re so pissy when you’re hangry,” Younghoon adds. “Hungry-angry,” he clarifies when he sees Hyunjae’s confused look.

“You’re not that clumsy but when you break stuff it’s always something important” Sunwoo, again.

“And you’re so loud,” Chanhee concludes. The other two nod vehemently. “ _So_ fucking loud,” Younghoon emphasises.

“Alright alright, what is this, a bash Hyunjae session?” he asks petulantly, getting up. “I’m leaving, you’re all assholes.”

“Just think about what we said,” Younghoon’s voice floats teasingly after him as he stomps through the dorm. Unfortunately, Juyeon isn’t home yet, choosing to spend their little bit of free time in the studio practicing instead of relaxing, so Hyunjae doesn’t really have anywhere to go for comfort except to lie down on his boyfriend’s bed. He breathes the familiar scent in deeply anyway, the notes of smoky sandalwood and clean linens mixing in the most reassuring way.

Just as he’s burrowed down underneath Juyeon’s covers, the bedroom door opens.

“Hyung?” Juyeon’s amused voice sounds huskily in the doorway. Hyunjae grunts, flinging one arm out of the covers and beckoning the dark haired boy to him. “Whatcha doin’?” Juyeon asks as he approaches the bed. The arm hanging out of the blankets waves him over more aggressively.

“I can’t lie down baby, I’m all sweaty from practice,” Juyeon says gently, one large hand carding through the blonde locks peeking out from under the duvet. At this, Hyunjae finally pokes his head out and frowns at his boyfriend.

“What good are you if you can’t even cuddle when I’m grumpy?” he snarks. Juyeon chuckles at the adorable way Hyunjae’s bottom lip juts out, running over it gently with his thumb.

“Sorry hyung, I’ll do better next time,” he teases, feline eyes twinkling with amusement. “You could always come shower with me,” he offers, a glint in his eye. Naturally, with so many boys in one house, they inevitably have to shower together once in a while when time is running short, but ever since he and Hyunjae started dating, they’ve showered together for pleasure as much as for convenience.

Now, however, his boyfriend’s eyebrow raises, unimpressed, at him. “No you horndog, go shower quickly and come back,” he orders waspishly before turning around to face the wall. He hears Juyeon chuckle again behind him and the door softly close. With Juyeon gone, Younghoon’s parting words suddenly echo in his ears. _Was_ he being too spoiled with his boyfriend? Normally he wouldn’t think twice about being pouty, but now that he’s basically had his character defamed by the other members, he wonders if Juyeon really is just being endlessly patient with him. Furthermore, if the answer to that question is yes, is there then a limit to his good humour? He tries to think back to a time when Juyeon got cross with him first, but his mind draws a blank, supplying instead a wealth of memories of when Juyeon had to pacify _him_.

As he’s contemplating this last thought, Juyeon comes back in, the room suddenly filled with the scent of his body wash. “Hey hyung,” he greets, slipping into the bed to wrap his arms around Hyunjae. Hyunjae doesn’t respond, just snuggles backwards into Juyeon’s broad chest, smiling contently at the way Juyeon trails little kisses along his jaw.

“Were you actually grumpy just now or were you being bratty?” Juyeon asks, hot breath washing over Hyunjae’s ear. It makes him shiver and press back a little deeper into the crook of Juyeon’s neck. “Bit of both,” he mumbles, angling his jaw as a silent request for more kisses. Juyeon gives them to him, as he always does when Hyunjae asks anything of him, before inquiring, “Wanna talk about it?”

Hyunjae turns to look at him properly then, trailing his eyes over the tender concern he sees in Juyeon’s expression. He smiles gently, shaking his head. “Nah, you know me,” he murmurs, leaning in to kiss his boyfriend properly. The younger lets it go with a shrug and sinks into the kiss, but the question of just how much it would take to get Juyeon annoyed at him still niggles in the back of Hyunjae’s mind.

A few days later, Hyunjae corners Younghoon when he emerges from the bathroom.

“Hey,” he says suddenly, jumping out the room he’s been waiting - read, hiding out - in, causing Younghoon to let out a high-pitched gasp.

“What the hell man!” he squawks, reeling backwards, gripping the towel slung around his hips comically tight.

“Do you really think Juyeon is so whipped that he’d never lose his temper with me?” Hyunjae continues as if he’d never been interrupted. Younghoon gives him an incredulous look, his dark hair dripping all over his forehead. “Did you actually just ambush me outside the bathroom to ask me about a conversation we had three days ago?” he intones.

“Just answer the question!” Hyunjae screeches, which makes Younghoon wince - although he can’t think why, Changmin is so much louder than he is, Hyunjae thinks uncharitably - and roll his eyes.

“Jesus, can we do this when I’m not effectively naked? I’ll come find you when I’m dressed,” he makes to slip past Hyunjae but the blonde blocks him.

“No can do, this can’t wait another second so I’ll just come with you,” he says, following hot on Younghoon’s heels. The taller boy makes a noise in the back of his throat before muttering, “That’s another one of your annoying qualities — dramatic,” as he pads towards his bedroom.

When he opens his door, he’s nonplussed to see Sunwoo and Chanhee already sitting on his bed. “The fuck?” he asks, whipping around to look furiously at Hyunjae. The blonde just shrugs, “I had to gather the council.” Sunwoo and Chanhee’s expressions are expectant, as if sitting on their half naked team member’s bed is completely normal.

“I can’t change with you guys here!” Younghoon cries. They all exchange looks before dutifully covering their eyes (Chanhee later takes the tiniest of peeks between his slender fingers because _duh_ ) and Younghoon groans before hurriedly tugging a T-shirt and some sweatpants on. “Alright alright,” he grumbles, plopping down next to Chanhee on the bed. “What do you want to talk about Hyunjae-ya?”

Hyunjae uncovers his eyes and fixes the others with a look. “Do you guys actually think that Juyeonie is so whipped that he’d never lose his temper with me?” he reiterates his earlier question. The others nod unanimously.

“Really?” Hyunjae presses, nose scrunched in disbelief. “You think there’s _nothing_ I could do that would piss him off?” Chanhee cocks his head to one side, considering the question. 

“I mean, short of actually doing something terrible, probably not,” he muses. A deviant expression suddenly crosses his pretty features. “Why, you wanna test it out?”

Hyunjae blinks back at him blankly. “What do you mean?”

The pink haired boy huffs, “Y’know, see how far you can push the limit. Like, pretend you broke something valuable of his, or be extra demanding and bratty for a week.” Hyunjae is about to object to putting his poor boyfriend through the wringer when Sunwoo chimes in, a mischievous glint in his dark eyes.

“Ooh do it hyung, it’ll be so funny! And it’ll be a win-win — if he does it all, you get to be an asshole for a week while getting him to do stuff for you, and if he loses his temper and refuses, you prove to us that he’s not the peacekeeper in the relationship,” the red haired boy eggs him on.

“I don’t think being an asshole to my boyfriend is a win,” Hyunjae says uncertainly, although the idea is certainly intriguing. 

“Not an asshole, just more spoiled than usual,” Younghoon reassures, his lips tugging into a smirk. “C’mon, you gotta do it! You can even tell him everything after the week is over,” he adds to temper the suggestion. Hyunjae eyes them all carefully before a reluctant grin sneaks onto his own face, and he nods.

“Alright, but if things go south I’m blaming you guys,” he says. They all chuckle before settling in to brainstorm what Hyunjae can do to Juyeon. It would be frightening how many ideas Chanhee and Sunwoo have if it isn’t for how excited Hyunjae feels.

However, it’s the following week by the time Hyunjae finds a free moment to put one of their ideas to the test; they have a gruelling new choreography to learn, and even he’s exhausted, not to mention Juyeon who has had to learn and teach it to the rest of them as a main dancer. Some nights Juyeon’s too tired to even make it to Hyunjae’s bed, although the blonde inevitably wakes up a little chillier than usual in the middle of the night and sneaks into Juyeon’s instead. Something about waking up without the taut, warm body wrapped around him feels wrong to Hyunjae.

When they finally get a free day, he decides to set his plan into motion. He knows that one of Juyeon’s most cherished items is that insane, patched aviator bomber jacket he wore for their W Korea shoot — after all, he’s seen where the boy keeps it locked away in his closet, slanted eyes opening wide with alarm anytime someone asks to touch it. Hyunjae himself has only worn it once or twice, and that’s only because he was there the day the stylists gave it to Juyeon. That morning, when Juyeon leaves the room to grab water, Hyunjae snickers to himself as he pulls the precious jacket out of the closet.

It really is a masterpiece of a garment, and Hyunjae clearly remembers the tightness in his chest when he saw Juyeon wear it for the first time. They had only just started tentatively seeing one another back then after finally admitting how they felt for so long, and Hyunjae can still feel the tickle of nervous affection in his ribcage every time Juyeon’s face got close to his for the shoot. He admires himself now, as he shucks on the jacket, turning this way and that. Although he and his boyfriend are a similar height, Juyeon is built broader with wider shoulders and longer limbs that fill out the jacket in a more masculine way. Still, Hyunjae thinks he looks pretty good in it, and the lingering scent of Juyeon’s sandalwood cologne on the fabric certainly adds to his enjoyment.

Juyeon comes ambling into the room then, still taking large gulps of water from his glass when his eyes fall on Hyunjae. There’s a small, hot flicker of something in his eyes before they blink anxiously. “Uh, hyung?” he asks slowly, gaze flicking rapidly between the jacket and Hyunjae’s face.

“Hey Juyeonie,” Hyunjae says casually, barely keeping his playful smile in check. He schools his expression to be as innocent as possible, fully aware of how soft Juyeon gets when he opens his brown eyes wide like a baby deer. “Hyung was just trying on your jacket, is that okay?” he asks, inflecting the tiniest bit of nervousness into his tone.

Juyeon starts a little, putting his glass down before wrapping long arms around Hyunjae’s waist. “‘Course hyung,” he mumbles, giving Hyunjae’s temple a quick kiss.

“Would you...” Hyunjae trails off slowly, purposefully. “Would you be okay with it if I borrowed it for the day?” he asks meekly, casting his eyes up to meet Juyeon’s. Juyeon stares for a moment, transfixed at the way his boyfriend’s long lashes frame his eyes.

“U-uh, the whole day?” he asks uncertainly. Hyunjae immediately casts his eyes to the side and bites his lip. He almost feels bad about using Juyeon’s weaknesses against him, but really, with the way the younger has waxed poetic about Hyunjae’s bottom lip, he was just asking for that knowledge to be abused. Hyunjae lets out a small sigh, and he _feels_ Juyeon’s resolve crumble to paltry dust.

“It’s fine, it’s fine! Take it,” Juyeon says immediately, peppering kisses up and down Hyunjae’s cheeks. Hyunjae grins secretively to himself before meeting Juyeon’s eyes again.

“You sure? I don’t have to,” he gives his boyfriend a last out, but Juyeon just presses a kiss square onto his lips. “I’m sure. You look so sexy in my clothes baby,” he murmurs, and the compliment makes Hyunjae squirm. He _doesn’t_ have a praise kink, okay, he just likes attention.

“Thanks Juyeonie,” he says with a bright smile, and he can literally see Juyeon’s feline eyes get all gooey when Hyunjae’s eyes crinkle the way they do when he grins. He leans in for a proper kiss that Juyeon happily gives him, a low rumbling noise emanating from his boyfriend’s chest as they make out languidly for a moment. Their lives are hectic, and even though they’re both ecstatic that the group is getting more attention in the music space, sometimes it’s nice to slow down just a little.

Too soon, however, Juyeon has to pull away. He’d told his parents months ago that he would visit them on the group’s free day, and his train leaves in an hour. “Sorry hyung, I gotta go now,” he says regretfully. Hyunjae lets out a small whine, butting Juyeon’s cheek with his nose which makes the younger chuckle affectionately. He nuzzles Hyunjae back, kissing the tip of his nose before unwrapping their arms.

“I’ll see you tonight,” Juyeon says, and with a last kiss, he’s out the door, leaving Hyunjae biting the inside of his cheek with glowing eyes.

In the next moment, the bedroom door is opening again and Jacob and Kevin are popping their heads in. “Ready to go?” Jacob asks with an endearing smile, before his eyebrows jump in shock. “Is that Juyeonie’s jacket?” he asks, as the two of them enter.

Hyunjae nods, a cheeky grin stretched across his face. “Is this the thing you’re doing where you test his patience Hyunjae-hyung?” Kevin asks, his pretty features twisted in amusement. Hyunjae nods again, waggling his eyebrows.

“How do you guys know about it?”

The two Canadians exchange a look, then simultaneously say, “Sunwoo.”

Hyunjae rolls his eyes at his dongsaeng’s inability to keep a secret. “Juyeon has no idea right?” he checks.

The other two chuckle. “No, and it won’t be hard to hide it from him,” Kevin says fondly. Hyunjae laughs in agreement, ushering them out of the room. On their way to the cinema - Kevin and Jacob were the only ones who agreed to watch a rerun of Iron Man with Hyunjae on the condition that they got to see it in English - Hyunjae tells them about his plans. When Juyeon gets home tonight, as he’s at his peak grumpiness from riding a train so late in the evening, Hyunjae is going to spring the news on him that he lost his jacket. Of course, he’s not actually going to lose it, he’ll hide it away in one of the closets neatly folded, but his hope is that Juyeon will freak out at him for the first time.

Jacob and Kevin both give him bewildered if not amused looks, baffled as to why he would purposefully rile his boyfriend up. Hyunjae just shrugs, offering the explanation, “For science.” The Canadians chuckle quietly, both of them curious as to how it’ll turn out.

The movie is naturally fantastic, even the third time around and in a language that he barely understands, which means that Hyunjae has half forgotten his plan by the time they get back to the dorms. It’s only when he’s eating dinner in front of his laptop that he suddenly remembers Juyeon will be home in an hour. Hurriedly, he tears off the jacket, folding it neatly before rushing around the dorm to find a closet to hide it in. There’s no way he can hide it in his because the chance of Juyeon rifling through his closet to find something to wear is too high so he knocks quickly on Chanhee’s door.

“Open up!” he yells into the wood. A beat later, the pink haired boy opens the door with a disgruntled expression under a sheet mask. “What do you want hyung?” he whines, letting Hyunjae in.

“Any chance I can hide this in your closet?” Chanhee raises an eyebrow, unimpressed.

“Fine, but be careful,” he huffs warningly, opening his drawer of Chanel. He watches with eyes like a hawk as Hyunjae gently moves his luxury shirts out of the way in order to tuck the jacket underneath. 

“Thank you,” Hyunjae says with a winning smile, and Chanhee doesn’t deign to respond, just shoos him out. The blond grins to himself, then settles back down in his bedroom to get into the right headspace to make believe that he lost Juyeon’s prized possession.

Precisely fourty seven minutes later, the front door opens and Hyunjae hears Eric yelling in excitement, climbing all over Juyeon he suspects. He takes a deep breath, giddy playfulness mixing with a hint of anxiety. As he hears the familiar footsteps draw closer to his bedroom, he scrunches himself up on the bed, clasping his knees to his chest and looks away from the entrance, pretending to be lost in thought.

His door opens quietly, and he’s suddenly engulfed in Juyeon’s arms and scent when the younger leaps onto the bed. “Hyunggg,” Juyeon calls softly, pressing his nose into the space behind Hyunjae’s ear as he wraps long limbs around his boyfriend. Hyunjae jumps convincingly, just enough to seem startled but not displeased.

“Juyeonie,” he breathes, leaning into the embrace as he presses kisses into Juyeon’s shoulder, slender fingers weaving through Juyeon’s dark hair. If Juyeon was cute as a blonde during their D.D.D era, he’s absolutely devastating in this one — the first night he had come home with that inky, dark blue hair, Hyunjae had to physically restrain himself from jumping on him.

“How were your parents?” Hyunjae asks finally after letting himself soak in Juyeon’s presence for long enough. Juyeon murmurs, “Good, same as usual. The train ride back was annoying,” into Hyunjae’s blonde hair before pulling back to look at him.

“How was your day? You seemed very pensive when I came in,” he says, dark eyes searching. This is Hyunjae’s moment. He looks away, biting his bottom lip a little before faux-hurriedly saying, “Fine!” in a slightly more pitchy tone than usual. Juyeon immediately frowns, his right thumb stroking over the expanse of Hyunjae’s cheek.

“Hyung what happened? Tell me what’s wrong,” he requests worriedly. Hyunjae stares at him, upset, then buries his face in his hands. “Hyung!” Juyeon exclaims, voice filled with alarm. “Baby what is it?” he murmurs, pulling Hyunjae into his chest.

Hyunjae purposefully mumbles unintelligibly at first, forcing Juyeon to lift his face up. “Again, please?” he asks, eyes so warm and tender than Hyunjae loses his train of thought for a second. As if steeling himself, he takes a deep breath.

“I did something terrible,” he says quietly. Juyeon nudges their noses together, murmuring quickly, “Nothing you do could be terrible. Just tell me what happened and I can fix it for you.”

Hyunjae lets out what he hopes is a heart wrenching sigh, blinking furiously, “No, it can’t be fixed, I’ve totally ruined it.” Still, his boyfriend cuddles him closer, saying reassuringly, “That’s not true, just tell me baby.” When Hyunjae stays silent, Juyeon adds beseechingly, “Please hyung, I hate to see you upset,” his handsome face tense with anxiety.

Hyunjae lets a moment of silence pass for dramatic effect.“I...I lost your jacket Juyeonie,” he whispers, brows furrowed morosely. “I’m so sorry! It was an accident and-”

“Hyunjae-hyung!” Juyeon’s relieved laughter cuts him off. “That’s why you were so upset? You had me so worried! I’ll go find it tomorrow.” His husky chuckles fill the room as he leaves adoring kisses all over Hyunjae’s cheeks.

 _What?_ Hyunjae is flabbergast — his plan isn’t going the way he thought it would at all. Juyeon loves that jacket, almost bought a special case for it, and here he is, acting like it’s nothing? 

“No, Juyeonie, it’s lost forever. I went back to look for it and the cashier at the cinema told me someone had taken it,” he elaborates, trying to salvage his efforts. At this, Juyeon goes a little pale, echoing disbelievingly, “Forever?”

Hyunjae nods quickly, seizing the moment. “I was too busy pranking Cobie and Kevin and I just left it under the seat,” he admits, hoping to add insult to injury by describing how dirty and covered in popcorn the cinema floor is. Juyeon balks at this, eyebrows steadily rising on his forehead, but then he seems to shake himself out of it and grabs Hyunjae by the shoulders to stem his rambling.

“It’s fine hyung, it’s just an object,” he says, pushing stray locks of hair out of a Hyunjae’s face.

“But you love that jacket!” Hyunjae cries, real desperation filling his voice now - _why does nothing go his way_ \- as he tries to hammer the last nail into the coffin. Juyeon gives him a silly look before kissing him deeply. Hyunjae thinks he should really learn some self restraint and resist, but when Juyeon’s mouth is moving so sensually against his own, he almost forgets his surname — Lee, it’s Lee, like Lee Juyeon, the man who’s kissing his soul out of this hollow carcass called a body (damn it).

When Juyeon finally pulls away, swiping at Hyunjae’s lips with his thumb, his slanted eyes are adoring. “I love that jacket so much because of how much _you_ liked it when I first put it on, Hyunjae-hyung,” he says gently. “It was special because it was our first project together after we started seeing each other properly, but you know I don’t really care about the jacket itself right? It’s the memories associated with it that are so much more important, and I’ll always have those,” he murmurs, and fuck Lee Juyeon cause he’s gone and done it again — Hyunjae’s heart is beating a mile a minute and it feels like he’s drowning in warmth.

“You- I- can’t even, ugh,” Hyunjae flounders, before promptly burrowing into Juyeon’s chest, his face on fire. “I can’t deal with you,” he mutters into the divot, fisting his hands into the fabric of Juyeon’s T-shirt, and the rumbling laughter that vibrates from his boyfriend’s very well-defined pectoral muscles certainly doesn’t help to quell the raging flush in his cheeks.

So, to conclude, the first stage of his experiment is a resounding failure. Hyunjae has proven nothing except that Juyeon is the dopiest, gentlest man alive, a fact that makes Hyunjae’s comrades in arms - pink twink, angry Elsa and bread boy - cackle with laughter in the other rooms when he texts them about it after Juyeon has fallen asleep that night. Still, he’s nothing if not competitive, as they said, so he proceeds, undeterred, the second day.

He sleeps over in Juyeon’s bed that night, snuggling into the space between his arms and his chest as he falls asleep. It’s not like they’re massively different in height or size, but something about his boyfriend’s long limbs make him feel wonderfully small. Luckily, because of the amount of very gay intermingling in their group, he and Juyeon get the room to themselves whenever Younghoon sleeps in Changmin’s bed. When Hyunjae wakes up, it’s to a dark room and the sound of Juyeon’s alarm.

Irritably, he squeezes his eyes shut, trying to re-sink into the land of sleep, but then Juyeon is gently shaking him, his voice sounding thick with fatigue.

“Hyung-ah,” Juyeon says quietly, and in his half-awake delirium, Hyunjae revels in how nice it is when Juyeon calls him that, the soft smokiness of his voice emphasised by those sweetness of those two syllables.

“Mm, five more minutes,” he mumbles into the pillow, wriggling backwards into Juyeon - oh. Something distinctly hard and solid is pushing into his backside, and when he moves his hips experimentally again, Juyeon lets out a low groan, large hand coming to grip Hyunjae’s waist.

“Hyung,” he warns softly. “Not now, we have to leave the house in thirty minutes,” Juyeon grunts as Hyunjae continues drawing sensual little circles against him. Hyunjae pouts and looks over his shoulder, brown eyes pleading.

“C’mon, it’ll be quick,” he cajoles. He turns and wraps one leg around Juyeon’s tapered hips, pressing their cocks together with delicious friction. Juyeon whines lowly, baring his neck as Hyunjae laps hot kisses up the tan column. He knows he’s being needy and whiny even though they’re both exhausted, but he presses on and Hyunjae can see the moment Juyeon’s conviction falls apart in the way his sleep-filled slanted eyes sharpen with desire. Even so, Juyeon tries to resist one more time.

“We don’t have time baby,” he murmurs regretfully, nipping Hyunjae’s earlobe apologetically. Hyunjae doesn’t bother responding, just whimpers high and needy in the back of his throat, and, just like he knew it would, it works like a charm. Juyeon groans again, one large hand slipping between Hyunjae’s legs to caress his thigh. “Shit hyung, always sound so pretty for me,” he pants hotly into Hyunjae’s ear. “Can never say no to you baby.”

Hyunjae grins, pleased, quickly jumping out of bed to drag Juyeon into the shower. As soon as they’re immersed under the hot spray, Hyunjae shoves their toothbrushes into their respective mouths, eager to get the actual cleaning part over with. They both brush vigorously, spitting the foam directly in the shower in their haste, and before Hyunjae knows it, Juyeon has yanked his toothbrush out of his hand and stuck his minty tongue into Hyunjae’s mouth. He immediately wraps himself around Juyeon’s lean, muscled body, their cocks still hard and insistent as they rub against each other.

Eyes closed while they make out, Hyunjae pumps two fistfuls of body wash into his palm before running his soapy hands up and down Juyeon’s body. His small hands trail over the hard planes of his boyfriend’s muscles, mapping their expanse. Juyeon detaches their lips to lave at Hyunjae’s shoulder when the blonde’s wandering hands caress the defined V of his hips.

“Feels so- _ngh_ \- hyung, we don’t have time,” he gasps, a large hand gathering the stray soap on his own body then swiftly gripping Hyunjae’s flushed cock. This makes Hyunjae arch sharply, a small whiny moan escaping past his lips when Juyeon begins to pump concertedly. He bucks into the tight pressure of Juyeon’s hand, breathing quiet whimpers into his boyfriend’s broad shoulder.

Unbidden, his eyes travel downward, and the sight makes his blood pound in his ears. With each firm stroke, Hyunjae sees his cock brush against Juyeon’s own hard, veiny member, dark tips skimming along each other. Juyeon notices his fixation and rumbles into his ear, “Like the way it looks huh hyung?” His tone is dangerous, almost threatening, and Hyunjae shudders into it. “Wanna watch you come hyung, wanna see you come all over my cock,” he growls, biting the shell of Hyunjae’s ear commandingly. 

Muffling his shriek, Hyunjae cries out, “ _Fuck_ Juyeonie, so good - _ngh_ \- s-so good baby!” He feels Juyeon’s free hand clasp him closer so that their wet bodies are sliding against each other, and the sharp angle of Juyeon’s hip bone presses him to lean against the shower wall. Just as he’s about to tip over the edge, a long finger presses into his furled back entrance, the tantalising burn forcing light to explode behind Hyunjae’s eyelids. His back snaps into a painful arch away from the wall, trembling hands coming to grip dark hair and a bulging bicep feverishly when he comes. “Juyeonie! I-I- _ah!_ ” he wails, hips fucking frantically into Juyeon’s hand as he spills violently over Juyeon’s cock.

“God, hyung, so pretty when you come baby,” Juyeon says hoarsely into the crook of his neck. Hyunjae whines softly at the praise, his thrusts stuttering as the dregs of his orgasm rack through him. When he finally settles, he gives Juyeon some dazed, sated kisses, brushing his lower abdomen teasingly against his boyfriend’s still-stiff cock.

“Made hyung feel so good Juyeonie,” he mumbles between kisses, hot tongue lapping lazily over Juyeon’s in the younger’s mouth. “Let me make you feel good too baby,” he requests, scraping his neatly trimmed nails down Juyeon’s pecs and abs. Juyeon moans into his mouth, detaching to stare at him with heavy-lidded eyes. Slowly, maintaining eye contact the whole time, Juyeon brings the hand still covered in Hyunjae’s come to his mouth. His pink tongue darts out, scooping up the creamy release and swallows suggestively. Hyunjae stares back at him with wild eyes, watching the way Juyeon’s defined Adam’s apple bobs with each lick. When Juyeon purposefully smears a thick stripe over his bottom lip only to suck it in a second later, however, Hyunjae’s control snaps. He flips them over quickly so that Juyeon is the one pressed against the wall, and Hyunjae stares heatedly at his boyfriend’s cock still painted with Hyunjae’s own come.

Using his own release as lubricant, Hyunjae slides his small hand up and down Juyeon’s pulsating length, relishing in the cracked groans passing through Juyeon’s lips. Unsteadily, Hyunjae kneels down in front of his boyfriend, their eyes never leaving one another’s, and Juyeon’s mouth goes slack when he realises what Hyunjae is about to do. Hyunjae licks the dark red tip before him kittenishly, tasting the salty bitterness of his own come for the first time.

Oh so slowly, he engulfs the head of Juyeon’s swollen cock in his mouth, sinking down with hollowed out cheeks. Juyeon moans loudly, large hands tangling between Hyunjae’s blonde strands. He stares down deliriously at Hyunjae, asking roughly, “You like the way your come tastes hyung?” Hyunjae’s answering whimper reverberates along Juyeon’s sensitive member, making the younger throw his head back. Hyunjae sets a relentless pace after that as he sucks, acutely aware of how little time they have left.

Juyeon has always been careful not to thrust too hard when Hyunjae gives him head, worried about damaging his boyfriend’s throat when he’s one of the group’s main vocalists. Today, though, the grasp on his composure seems to be paper thin, and Juyeon barely refrains from fucking Hyunjae’s mouth forcefully. The sense of power that comes from fraying his usually careful boyfriend’s restraint is heady and intoxicating, making Hyunjae keen softly around Juyeon’s cock. Just when he feels Juyeon’s heavy balls draw up, he pulls his mouth off, a tiny dribble of spit connecting his mouth to the engorged tip. Swiftly, he jacks his dainty hand up and down the length, opening his mouth and peeking his tongue out suggestively. Juyeon’s dark eyes squeeze shut as he lets out a ragged grunt, suddenly spilling onto Hyunjae’s lips, nose and cheeks.

“ _S-shit_ hyung, so fucking- _hah_ ,” he pants roughly, staring down at the creamy stripes he paints over Hyunjae’s delicate features. When his cock finally stops twitching furtively in Hyunjae’s hand, he reaches down to swipe a thumb through the thick release gathered on Hyunjae’s chin before pushing it between Hyunjae’s bitten lips. He does this a couple more times, swallowing harshly at the hedonistic look in his boyfriend’s eyes as he’s fed Juyeon’s come.

“So pretty baby,” Juyeon whispers when he’s finally cleaned Hyunjae’s face off, pulling him up to kiss him fully on the mouth. Hyunjae wraps his arms around Juyeon’s neck, kissing him back leisurely, when there’s a sharp rap on the door.

“Stop fucking, we have to go!” Younghoon calls through the door irritably. Hyunjae and Juyeon exchange sheepish smiles and they quickly soap themselves down again to clean off any remnants of their tryst.

They’re the last ones to board the bus to the studio, and the rest of the members give them unimpressed looks, scowling and making snarky comments that Hyunjae ignores but that Juyeon blushes at. When they’re seated, Juyeon leans his head tiredly on Hyunjae’s shoulder, and the blonde feels a small pang of guilt for talking the younger into fooling around. They have a full day of practice ahead, and he knows how exhausted Juyeon gets after messing around on top of his previous week of hectic dance practice. His boyfriend promptly falls asleep on his shoulder, and Hyunjae gently strokes his fingers through the damp, inky strands throughout the brief car ride.

The rest of the day is as gruelling as Hyunjae had expected it to be, and he can practically see the fatigue radiating off of Juyeon as the dark haired boy dances. When the choreographer finally gives them a break, Hyunjae shuffles to his bag where he’s packed an extra of Juyeon’s favourite protein bar. It’s the least he can do, really, for how good Juyeon is to him, and just as he’s about to turn around to call his boyfriend, an ice cold water bottle is thrust in front of his nose.

“Hyung-” Juyeon stops short when he sees the bar. The two of them stare at each other for a second before stupid grins stretch across their faces when they realise that they’ve both prepared extra sustenance for one another. Juyeon’s eyes twinkle as he leans in to peck Hyunjae quickly on the cheek, murmuring a thanks while he rips into the bar. Hyunjae just quirks his eyebrow teasingly at him, unscrewing the bottle and chugging the cold water gratefully. Too soon though, the choreographer is calling them back to practice, and their little moment comes to an end.

When they finally get back to the dorms that night, it’s already dark out, the days getting shorter now that summer is breaking into autumn. Everyone collapses tiredly onto the sofas, some of them heading to shower and others flicking their phones on to mindlessly watch some videos online. When Hyunjae comes back from his room after dropping his bag off, Juyeon is sat on one of the sofas, arm slung around Eric who has already passed out against the navy haired boy while he orders food on his phone.

“Want anything Hyunjae-hyung?” Juyeon asks, flashing the screen at Hyunjae. As tired as his brain is, it manages to supply him with another amusing idea to test Juyeon’s patience so Hyunjae shakes his head no to his boyfriend’s question, sitting down to curl into his side.

“Nah, not hungry,” he says, laying his head on Juyeon’s lap. Juyeon gives him a disbelieving look.

“You sure? You’re always hungry after practice,” he pushes sceptically. Hyunjae shrugs noncommittally with a yawn, “Eh, not today.” Juyeon eyes him a second longer before hitting the order button on his phone.

Fourty minutes later, after Eric has woken up and fired up their house’s Nintendo console to play Super Smash Bros with Changmin, Juyeon’s phone buzzes. He untangles himself from around Hyunjae who sits up, disgruntled, and Juyeon lets out a small groan of relief.

“Finally, I’m starving,” he mutters, striding over to the door to grab the takeout. Just then, Chanhee comes ambling in to sling his arms around Changmin’s neck while he plays, and Hyunjae pokes him quietly. At the pink haired boy’s questioning look, Hyunjae whispers conspiratorially, “Watch this.” 

When Juyeon comes back, looking particularly chuffed for his dinner, Hyunjae peeks into the takeout boxes inquiringly.

“Looks good Juyeonie,” he says, licking his bottom lip. Juyeon chuckles, one hand stroking through Hyunjae’s ash blonde strands, “Thought you said you weren’t hungry hyung.”

Hyunjae huffs petulantly. “I’m not,” he replies pointedly. “I just said it looks good.” Juyeon flashes a teasing smile at him, nudging Hyunjae’s cheek gently with his tall nose. “You can have some,” he offers fondly, and Hyunjae’s eyes crinkle with how hard he’s smiling.

His boyfriend is one of the more generous members when it comes to sharing food, but when Hyunjae sees the rather expensive box of roast pork belly - Juyeon’s treat meal - come out of the takeout bag, he wonders how much he’ll be able to take before Juyeon cuts him off. After all, it’s not often that Juyeon will allow himself the calories or the expense of ordering from this particular restaurant. Judging by Chanhee’s slightly wide eyes, he’s curious too.

As he eats, Juyeon leans back against the sofa, eyes fixed on the video game before him, but not before pulling Hyunjae’s legs across his lap so that the two of them are touching again. Hyunjae smiles a little to himself, pleased by how tactile his boyfriend is. Every once in a while, Juyeon will feed a piece of meat and rice to Hyunjae without looking at him, unbelievably cute in the way he’s focused on the video game. It’s only when a small snap sounds next to him that he looks over to see Hyunjae breaking apart his own set of takeaway chopsticks.

Dark eyes full of amusement, Juyeon watches as Hyunjae nonchalantly helps himself to a bite of his dinner, his head cocking ever so slightly in adoration at the way Hyunjae hums in pleasure as he chews. He turns his head back to face the TV, egging Eric on who is rather battering Changmin in the game but is distracted again when, in his peripheral vision, he catches Hyunjae’s pale hand sneaking under his nose once more to grab another bite of rice. Hyunjae feeds it into his own mouth, then picks up a piece of kimchi because it’s not like he can just eat plain rice. He then adds a couple of cabbage pieces because vegetables are important, and oh, protein is vital if he’s going to keep his energy up so another piece of pork belly gets picked up too.

Juyeon snorts quietly to himself, and Hyunjae can barely keep a straight face as he takes more and more food from his boyfriend. When he hears his Juyeon’s small huff, Hyunjae feels a small jolt of excitement — this is it, the moment when Juyeon’s patience finally wears out.

To his utter dismay, instead of grousing and grumbling about Hyunjae stealing his food when he had been explicitly asked if he wanted to order anything, Juyeon just quietly presses the bowl into Hyunjae’s hands. When the blonde gives the younger a baffled look, Juyeon says quietly with a tender smile, “Eat baby.”

Hyunjae narrows his eyes; if this is the game they’re playing, he’s going to eat alright. And so he does, valiantly shoving food down his gullet until his cheeks are bulging and the food feels congested in his sternum, and all the while, Juyeon just strokes Hyunjae’s hair, seemingly uncaring about his dinner disappearing down Hyunjae’s throat. Hyunjae eats to the point of pain, turning what was effectively two meals that could’ve yielded leftovers into one excruciating dinner for himself. He even convinces himself that if he shoves a licked clean bowl under Juyeon’s nose that that’ll be the final straw, but when he does so, the takeout box shining with grease and little else, Juyeon just fucking laughs huskily and puts it back on the coffee table for him.

Hyunjae hiccups unattractively with his eyes closed, trying to settle the leaden weight in his stomach when he feels Juyeon get up to go to the bathroom. It’s at this moment that Chanhee, who has been conspicuously quiet this whole time, leans over.

“That did not go your way hyung,” he whispers, eyes alight with humour.

Hyunjae groans irately. “Shut the fuck up, I know it didn’t and now I feel like shit,” he complains, rubbing the protrusion in his abdomen. Chanhee giggles as he gets up, patting Hyunjae’s shoulder pseudo-sympathetically.

When Juyeon comes back, pocketing his phone, he sees Hyunjae’s pained expression and his eyebrows furrow with concern. “Hyunjae-hyung, are you okay?” he murmurs, settling down next to the blonde on the sofa. “Do you have a stomach ache?”

Hyunjae smiles through gritted teeth, “I’m fine Juyeonie, just tired. I think I’m gonna go to bed early tonight.” He gets up, trying to hobble out of the room as normally as he can because he feels Juyeon’s worried gaze on him. When he gets to his bedroom, he slumps onto the bed in a foetal position, clutching his sides.

He should’ve known better than to think Juyeon would let it go, because not a minute later, there’s a soft knock on his door. “Hyung, can I come in?” Juyeon asks gently. Hyunjae is tempted to refuse, but knowing Juyeon, who would probably just sit outside his door until he came out, he relents with a grunt. His boyfriend ambles in, feline eyes immediately drooping in concern when he takes in Hyunjae’s curled up form.

“Baby,” he breathes perturbedly.

Hyunjae lets out a muffled noise into his pillow before admitting, “I think I ate too much.” Anyone else would’ve laughed in his face, he thinks, for doing this to himself, but Juyeon like the sweet angel he is just sits down beside him, turning Hyunjae so that his head is in his boyfriend’s lap.

“Poor thing,” he coos sympathetically, running long fingers through Hyunjae’s silvery-blonde hair. “Can I do anything to make you feel better?” he asks with a touch to Hyunjae’s flushed cheeks.

Hyunjae shakes his head, eyes squeezed shut. He thinks that’ll be the end of it, that Juyeon will just sit there with Hyunjae’s head in his lap, which is already lovely enough frankly, but he’s wrong. Large, warm hands gently move his off his abdomen, and then Juyeon is rubbing soothing circles over the veritable boulder in his stomach and Hyunjae wants to _die_.

“Stop!” he squawks, trying to push Juyeon’s hand away. This is fucking _mortifying_ and fundamentally unsexy, and Hyunjae doesn’t think his face has ever been this red. Juyeon, for his part, just clicks his tongue at him, batting Hyunjae’s flailing limbs away. “Hyung relax, or you’ll never feel better,” he urges, resuming the comforting massage.

Hyunjae makes a strangled noise into Juyeon’s thighs but relents, burying his face in the hopes that it’ll appease his abject embarrassment. They sit like this for who knows how long, neither of them saying much, and soon, Hyunjae feels the tight knot in his stomach loosen even as his brain is drowning in humiliation. He’s about to tell Juyeon that he feels better when Juyeon’s phone buzzes again.

“Be right back hyung,” he says, shifting Hyunjae off his lap. When he returns a moment later, Hyunjae sees a takeout bag of food, and his questioning look is met with a sheepish shrug.

“Got hungry again,” Juyeon explains, pretending as if neither of them is aware that he wouldn’t be hungry if Hyunjae hadn’t eaten his entire dinner. “Do you care if I eat on your bed hyung?”

Hyunjae is too speechless to say anything and just waves his hand vaguely at the mattress. Juyeon hops on, uncapping a bowl of much cheaper jjajangmyeon and digging in ravenously. Hyunjae stares at him, and when the younger boy looks up to make eye contact, he quirks his eyebrow amusedly.

“Do you want a bite?” he asks, offering his chopsticks out to Hyunjae. Hyunjae makes a deeply unattractive choking sound in the back of his throat, shaking his head no. Juyeon smiles fondly at him again before gesturing for Hyunjae to lay back down on his lap. Finding himself entirely bereft of words to say to his unacceptably sweet boyfriend, Hyunjae drags his iPad over and pulls up a funny show they both like, revelling in the soft laughter that emerges from Juyeon’s chest.

There’s not much for Hyunjae to do except admit failure once again, although he does sneak fifty thousand won into a side pocket of Juyeon’s backpack the next day as payment for the dinner he ate. He might be pranking his boyfriend but he’ll be damned if he takes advantage of him. He even slips in an extra couple bills for all the trouble Juyeon went to last night to make him feel better, the douchebag.

Hyunjae is getting whiplash from how spectacularly he’s failing this experiment, falling painfully short of his expectations. Clearly, he has to up the ante, and over the following few days, Hyunjae resolves to get progressively clingier, louder and more annoying.

When Hyunjae wakes up the day after he eats a mountain troll’s portion of food, he swiftly sets to work. As he blinks the sleep away from his eyes, he takes a moment to appreciate the boy laying next to him — even with his face puffy with sleep and dark hair all askew, Juyeon is one of the prettiest things he’s ever seen. Hyunjae trails his eyes over his boyfriend’s angular features, the line of his nose and the contours of his cheekbones. There’s something old-worldly about Juyeon’s beauty, as if transposed from an ancient painting, and Hyunjae gently ghosts a kiss against the younger’s temple, careful not to wake him. Then -

“JUYEONIE!” he screeches. Juyeon jumps a mile in the air, shouting, “What, what?!” as he promptly falls off the bed. Hyunjae cackles with mirth, peering over the edge of the mattress at Juyeon’s ashen face.

“Morning, baby,” he chirps sweetly, and Juyeon simply collapses onto the floorboards, throwing an arm over his eyes as he tries to regulate his breathing. Hyunjae takes this moment to admire the way his sweatpants - they’ve always shared clothes - look on Juyeon slung low on the younger’s hips, exposing a small scattering of hair and sharp, well-muscled hip bones.

“Hyung, I think I ruptured a vessel,” Juyeon says weakly, voice thick with sleep as he interrupts Hyunjae’s ogling. “What time is it? Are we late?” Juyeon asks, getting up to check his phone. When he sees that it’s an hour before they need to leave the house, he gapes at Hyunjae.

“Hyunjae hyung...” he says slowly. “We don’t need to be up for another half hour.” Hyunjae nods cheekily, grinning at his boyfriend.

“I know, I just thought it’d be funny,” he says with a snicker. If he thinks Juyeon will finally snap at him for waking them up unnecessarily, Hyunjae is proven swiftly wrong. Juyeon just laughs breathlessly before climbing back into bed, throwing his arm over Hyunjae’s chest and burying his face into the crook of the blonde’s neck.

“Silly,” he mumbles, pressing a quick kiss to the juncture. Before Hyunjae knows it, Juyeon’s breathing has evened out again, and the boy is fast asleep. Hyunjae sighs in defeat, but life is a marathon, not a sprint, so he closes his eyes and mentally prepares himself for the rest of the day. When their alarm finally does ring, the two of them rise groggily, having already fallen too deeply back to sleep in the thirty minutes past.

At the studio, Hyunjae maximises every irritating habit of his, howling with laughter purposefully loud, yelling into the echoey room and jumping onto Juyeon any chance he gets. The other members pay him no mind, clearly having been briefed by Sunwoo, Chanhee and Younghoon on his experiment, and Juyeon seems to take it all in stride.

Any time there’s a break in between dancing, Hyunjae leaps onto his boyfriend back, clinging onto him like a koala. He would normally be mortified by such ardent displays of affection, but it’s all for the greater good of finally getting Juyeon to lose his good humour. Even so, Juyeon doesn’t seem to mind, only blushing a little every time Hyunjae practically mauls him with clingy affection.

It continues like this over the next few days, Hyunjae spamming Juyeon’s phone with texts requiring his immediate response or screaming his name from the bedroom for something inconsequential like getting Hyunjae a glass of water. All through it, Juyeon just gives him looks brimming with fondness, chuckling even when the other members complain about the noise.

It’s only when, after a night of heated video gaming with Hyunjae screeching at Juyeon to keep up because they’re on the same team, that Juyeon lets on that he’s noticed the change in Hyunjae’s behaviour. After hearing Hyunjae’s fifth howl at the TV when their players come in third, Juyeon finally winces a little at the piercing noise beside him. The room goes silent, everyone noticing the twitch in Juyeon’s eye, and they all hold their breath as if waiting for him to crack.

Instead, he just plants a kiss on Hyunjae’s mouth as he’s mid-yell, stunning Hyunjae into silence. “Shh baby,” he mutters against Hyunjae’s slack lips, and when he pulls away, Sangyeon mutters audibly, “Finally.” It’s not quite the reaction that Hyunjae had been hoping for, but at least now he has confirmation that his boyfriend isn’t completely impervious to his annoying habits.

With all of his neediness, the two of them have barely had enough sleep; Hyunjae because he’s been too busy plotting to fall asleep and Juyeon because he’s had to keep up with Hyunjae’s constant barrage of demands. As such, when they get to the studio the following day, neither is surprised when their choreographer scolds them for moving sluggishly. Hyunjae glances guiltily at his poor boyfriend’s face — Juyeon has dark shadows under his eyes, and his normally sun kissed skin looks particularly grey under the studio lights. Still, when he catches Hyunjae staring at him, he gives the blonde the softest smile, his dark eyes still managing to twinkle through the fatigue.

Hyunjae’s heart clenches. After everything he’s put him through this week, Juyeon, ridiculously kind and patient Juyeon, still has the good temper to smile so tenderly at him. Then and there, Hyunjae resolves to stop the experiment and come clean to his boyfriend. It’s childish, and although it was funny at first, he aches a little to see just how tired Juyeon is.

They’re in the middle of a new routine when it happens — behind Hyunjae, a familiar voice lets out a sharp cry, and in the mirror, Hyunjae sees Juyeon’s dark head of hair fall forwards. He whips around, heart in his throat, to see Juyeon laying on the ground clutching his knee, with Sangyeon’s errant foot that he clearly tripped over frozen in front of him.

“Juyeonie!” Hyunjae shouts, rushing to his boyfriend’s prone form. Juyeon’s face is white with pain, gritting his teeth so hard that the muscle in his jaw spasms. Before Hyunjae can do anything, their on-hand medic rushes over, easing Juyeon into a position where he can examine him. Hyunjae can hear his heart hammering in his ribcage when he sees the stray tear leak out of the side of Juyeon’s eye as he cries out, and he barely registers the steadying hand that Jacob places on his shoulder. Sangyeon is kneeling beside the dark haired boy, blabbing apology after apology while Juyeon grunts in pain.

The medic’s face is grim, calling two attendants on his phone to bring a stretcher before settling Juyeon into a more comfortable position and getting up to call their manager. Hyunjae rushes over then, grabbing Juyeon’s large hand in his.

“Juyeonie,” he whispers worriedly, casting his eyes over Juyeon’s tense face. Juyeon manages a weak smile, gripping Hyunjae’s hand comfortingly. “I’m okay hyung, it’s not too bad,” he manages, but anyone can tell he’s lying through his teeth. Just then, the medic’s voice drifts over to the huddle of members, and they all freeze when they hear the phrase “ACL tear” linger audibly in the echoey room. Juyeon’s eyes go wide with fear, darting anxiously between Hyunjae and Sangyeon’s twin ashen expressions. ACL tears are painful and long-lasting, and as a main dancer, Juyeon would be out of commission for months before he’s allowed to perform.

“Hyung,” he whispers haltingly to Hyunjae, his voice trembling ever so slightly. “What if I can’t perform with the new release?” Hyunjae shushes him firmly, saying tersely, “You’re going to be fine Juyeonie. You’ll be better by then.” Juyeon stares at him for a moment, then nods a little desperately, like Hyunjae’s words are a lifeline. None of the members say much else after that, all stroking what parts of Juyeon they can access — his hair, his arms, his ankles.

Everything moves blurringly quickly after the medic comes back with the stretcher, and before Hyunjae knows it, he’s piling into the back of a van on the way to the hospital, holding onto Juyeon’s hand until both their knuckles are white. The ride there is silent, and Hyunjae comforts himself with carding his free hand rhythmically through Juyeon’s dark hair. Every jolt of the car, every bump in the road makes Juyeon grind his teeth with pain, leaving Hyunjae feeling chillingly helpless. He settles for pressing his forehead to Juyeon’s shoulder, whispering soothing nothings in his ear and letting Juyeon grip his hand crushingly hard without complaint.

When they get to the hospital, Hyunjae and Sangyeon stand by motionless as Juyeon is brought into an examination room. Every once in a while, they exchange equally nervous looks, and Sangyeon ends up slinging his arm over Hyunjae’s shoulder to ground them both.

“Fuck, this is all my fault,” Sangyeon breathes remorsefully, his normally kind brown eyes filled with regret. Hyunjae stares at him.

“What?” he blurts out. “It’s not your fault hyung, it’s mine. My stupid prank experiment is the reason he was so tired and out of it today. He would never have tripped if I hadn’t been keeping him up all week.” He runs a hand through his blonde hair stressfully, contrition filling every cell of his being.

Sangyeon sighs heavily, rubbing Hyunjae’s back. “It’s both of our faults then,” he concedes, and Hyunjae can only nod and close his eyes. A number of minutes pass until a fresh faced doctor steps out and calls them in. When they enter the room, Juyeon is sitting with his leg elevated, a removable cast wrapped around it while their manager converses quietly with the doctor.

Hyunjae rushes in, immediately throwing his arms around the dark haired boy, murmuring a constant stream of apologies. “Hyung, hyung, it’s okay,” Juyeon says gently, stroking the nape of Hyunjae’s neck gently.

The doctor clears his throat and Hyunjae swiftly detaches himself, the tips of his ears burning. “Lee Juyeon-ssi will be fine — it’s very luckily not an ACL tear, just a grade two ACL sprain of middling severity. He’ll obviously have to stay off his feet for the next few weeks or so, but he should be able to participate in light physical activity within a month,” the doctor says, mainly addressing himself to Sangyeon and their manager. Hyunjae nods numbly, flooded with relief that he sees reflected on Juyeon’s face, lacing their fingers together.

It’s dark by the time they get home, and Hyunjae sternly shoos the younger members away after they’ve all hugged Juyeon (carefully). Younghoon has willingly ceded his and Juyeon’s room to them for the night, and Hyunjae helps Juyeon into bed with a nervous set to his mouth, frowning at every little thing out of place. Juyeon, for his part, just watches the blonde fuss tensely around him with warm eyes. When Hyunjae starts losing his temper at a corner of the bed sheet that won’t tuck in just so, Juyeon stretches his hand out, beckoning to him.

“Hyung-ah,” he calls gently, and Hyunjae immediately flies to his side.

“What is it baby? What do you need?” Hyunjae asks worriedly, cupping Juyeon’s cheek. Juyeon smiles softly and leans into the little palm, “Nothing hyung, just wanted you to stop worrying yourself sick.”

Hyunjae rolls his eyes and is about to resume his fussing when Juyeon grabs his wrist. “Seriously, I’m okay Hyunjae hyung,” he says soothingly. “Come sit with me?” And of course Hyunjae can’t refuse him like this, not when his stomach is churning with worry and guilt so he nods quickly and slides into bed next to Juyeon.

“Juyeonie, I’m so sorry this is all my fault,” he mumbles into the pillow, voice trembling a little with worry. Juyeon turns his head to look at Hyunjae exasperatedly.

“Tell me how you think this is your fault hyung,” he chuckles, dark eyes so fond.

Hyunjae swallows. He’s spent the last week trying to prank Juyeon into losing his temper, but now, laying there on the brink of admitting everything, he suddenly feels nervous. Any person in their right mind would be furious at him for putting them through this charade for a whole week, let alone Juyeon who’s just sprained his knee because of it. What if he’s so angry that he doesn’t speak to Hyunjae for a month? Or worse, what if he decides he doesn’t want to be in a relationship anymore? A gentle touch pulls him out of his reverie, and Hyunjae leans into the knuckles tracing over his cheekbones.

“This was all a prank,” he says finally, guardedly. Juyeon frowns, and Hyunjae hurries to explain. “This whole week. Losing your jacket, eating all your food and being loud and annoying — it was all an experiment to see if you’d lose your temper with me.”

Juyeon blinks owlishly back at him, processing. A beat passes, then -

“So my jacket isn’t lost?”

Hyunjae huffs out a reluctant laugh. “No, I hid it in Chanhee’s closet.”

A broad smile breaks across Juyeon’s face. “That’s great!” he grins up at his boyfriend for a second but jumps a fraction when Hyunjae leaps into the air, waving an accusatory finger in his face.

“Hah! I knew you cared about the jacket,” he crows triumphantly, although Juyeon’s impassive expression dampens his excitement.

“ _Obviously_ I care about it hyung, it’s my favourite jacket, but I didn’t care about it enough to want you to be upset about it. You really got me, I totally believed you,” Juyeon says with an indulgent eye roll. “I still don’t get how my sprain is your fault though.”

Hyunjae gapes blankly at him, sputtering, “‘Cause if I wasn’t being such a dick and keeping you up to do stuff for me just to annoy you, you wouldn’t have tripped!” Juyeon arches an eyebrow at him, and Hyunjae buries his face in his hands, awaiting Juyeon’s inevitable wrath.

Instead, Juyeon says slowly and gently, “Hyung,” as if coaxing out a nervous animal, “I’m not mad. Even if this wasn’t a prank, I wouldn’t mind doing all of those things for you. They hardly pay you back for all the things you do for me, baby.”

Hyunjae looks completely baffled, so Juyeon continues, “What, you don’t think I notice all the ways you take care of me? How you always get extra protein bars for me when you order your own groceries? Or how you throw the blanket back on me after I’ve kicked it off when you wake up in the middle of the night?” A lovely blush is blooming across Hyunjae’s nose bridge Juyeon notes affectionately before going on.

“You think I’ve forgotten the time when there was a blizzard outside and you still ran to the store to get me red ginseng paste when I wasn’t feeling well? Do you really not know that it meant the world to me when you stayed up with me all night before my first time as an MC on The Show?” Juyeon’s eyes are bursting with tender adoration as he lists out the things Hyunjae does for him, and Hyunjae can’t help but squirm even while being unable to look away.

Juyeon cups Hyunjae’s face close, thumbs pressing gently into the swell of Hyunjae’s cheeks. “Did you really think it would be that easy for me to lose patience with you when I love you so much?” he asks, feline eyes turning into pretty crescents as he smiles at Hyunjae. Hyunjae’s breath stutters out of him in a breathy staccato, long lashes blinking with poorly veiled shock.

“W-what did you just say?” he asks hollowly.

“I love you hyung,” Juyeon says with a chuckle, nudging Hyunjae’s nose with his. “I know it’s only been a few months since we’ve started seeing each other properly but I’ve been in love with you for a while now.”

And Hyunjae doesn’t have much to say to that except to croak out a laugh and whisper into Juyeon’s lips, “I love you too Juyeonie.” It takes Juyeon a second to process his words amidst kissing Hyunjae back, but he suddenly pulls away, eyes alight with joy.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Hyunjae says, his nose and eyes scrunching as he smiles.

A day later, when all of the boys are piled into Juyeon and Younghoon’s room, all of Eric’s board games splayed out and the gargantuan feast Kevin and Jacob ordered littering every surface, Hyunjae regales them with the conclusive results of his prank.

“Yah, how come you never share your fancy pork belly with me hyung?” Haknyeon asks teasingly.

Juyeon levels him with a blank stare before responding, “When you look like Hyunjae hyung, I will.” The room bursts into raucous laughter and Hyunjae preens exaggeratedly even as he flushes.

“And you really didn’t get mad when you thought he lost your jacket Juyeonie hyung?” Changmin asks incredulously.

Juyeon shrugs. “What’s there to get mad about?”

Eric chokes loudly at this, eyes wide with disbelief. “You literally woke me up one time to yell at me when I spilled _water_ by the sofa.” This makes Juyeon scratch his neck contritely, mumbling a half-hearted apology while Hyunjae buries his nose in Juyeon’s dark hair to cover up his own laugh.

“So to conclude, Juyeonie hyung is 100%, no holds barred, whipped,” Sunwoo summarises, and the a chorus of agreement that sounds in the room drowns out Juyeon’s indignant noises. Sangyeon smacks his hand on the table, imitating a gavel.

“Excellent, meeting adjourned.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this lil nugget of a work; let me know what you think, and thank you as always for reading!
> 
> If you want to chat or get updates on my work, come find me on Twitter (link in profile)! 
> 
> \- Anon


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